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Deborah Seigel, an experienced 16 Guidelines practitioner and former director of the Centre for Compassion and Wisdom in Ontario, Canada has been using the 16 Guidelines on a regular basis with her colleagues, but this year she decided to run a pilot project that would allow the team to go to ‘the next level’ of understanding of a particular guideline or guidelines, and integrate them into their daily experience.

Deborah shares that her motivation was “to invite colleagues who wanted to take the 16G to the next level, journal results, and truly integrate those particular guidelines by reflecting on them daily or over the week.”

Below we share the activity and some of the positive results it has brought to each person, and the team as whole.The activity itselfFor this project members of staff were invited to participate (rather than make it mandatory) and randomly choose a card for seven days, or choose one card to be a guidepost for the seven days.

During the seven days they were asked to document one to three experiences at work or in their personal life when they drew on the card for wisdom and guidance.

At the end of the seven days they were asked to provide a summary of the experience, including the difference it made to focus on a guideline.

Throughout the week Deborah made available links to the 16G website, videos, definitions and the 16G Basics book as resources for staff, for which they were most appreciative.

Deborah reports:

18 staff offered to participate - that is 90% of the team - some were off on holidays, others were leaving our employer, some had too much on their plate and one chose a card daily but was unable to document their responses10 - decided to use one 16G for the seven days8 - chose a random guideline for 7 days9 - provided feedback via a short report.

Interestingly, a number experienced life changing situations and ‘AHA’ moments. Two bought cards for themselves. A couple of staffers wanted to choose a card for a second week given the results they experienced in the first week.

Overall feedbackThe team who participated in the pilot have a deeper connection to the guideline cards they now choose; for example, they have a fondness when they select the one guideline that was their focus for the weeklong project. We have continued to use the use the cards daily, and a number of team members will now take ownership when I am not around.

Some testimonials from participants who were happy to share their experience:

“Focusing on a guideline each day allowed me to take more ownership of my behaviour, my thoughts, and my life in general (so far). Working in a busy place with lots of people sets the stage sometimes for a hectic and chaotic day. Instead of letting myself feel out of control and anxious, reminding myself about the guideline I had chosen that day allowed me to regain control; control that I have had all along, but never really knew… While still in the preliminary stages of this journey I feel as though the process I went through of behaving and thinking with a focus in mind will help me as I continue to grow and learn for the rest of my life.” - Ersi Z

“Over the seven days that I wrote about gratitude, I realized what an impact it had on those days. By nature I know that I am someone who, internally, will veer to more negative thoughts. It’s something that I often struggle with. This experience has definitely opened my eyes to a simple practice that can alter my usual perception. Things are only as bad as I see them, but if I acknowledge what I am grateful for, it forces me to see my obstacles or the things I am not happy about in a different light. They are not so bright and blinding when my gratitude is shining.” - Kiah

“I am thrilled that I was able to take part in this pilot project. Each day when I pulled a card I truly honed in and focused on the guideline and attempted to use it all day. I found myself reflecting on situations and acting in a positive manner rather than acting on impulse… We should all live by these guidelines, as it make you more conscious and aware of your thoughts and actions. It allows you to look yourself in the mirror and make the necessary changes to your daily life.” - Jayevan

“My experience with the 16 Guidelines was overwhelmingly positive. Focusing on the principle of right speech allowed me to step outside my normal responsive social behaviour. I was able to listen and focus more clearly on what people were actually saying to me, which allowed me to connect more authentically with them in the moment. It is sometimes easy to get into ‘auto-pilot’ mode when engaging in conversation with people, based on old habits. I found that by focusing on my guideline I was able to be more mindful and present in the majority of the conversations I found myself in. There was also a higher sense of awareness as it was easier to realize when I was not acting within the guideline.” - Peter